We have a historical legacy of unequal treatment in society of men and women. However due to various factors and chivalry, in its wider sense, it has usually been men who were treated less equally. For instance the dramatic difference in state pension provisions, and the lack of health care programmes specific to men.
But we have also seen many measures in the last 30 years to promote women's roles in society, but unfortunately also to deliberately reduce that of men beyond what most people would consider reasonable. Most of these have been driven by a vociferous minority of radical feminist groups. The establishment of the Equal Opportunities Commission in 1975 has been one major step. Its activities are not however about equality, but about promoting women's rights, and reducing men's.
Parliament and the Government appear not to see the wider picture, but continue to develop anti-male policies and legislation. As examples, we have recently seen the introduction of a Minister for Women, but not one for men, as well as steps to ensure that all new legislation is woman-friendly. The Government statements on such matters appear at first to be innocuous, but consider for a moment the implications of having a Minister for Women and what 'woman-friendly' means in practice.
Discrimination against men is outlined in our publication of that name. The major areas of concern are :
Anecdotal evidence started to accumulate in the various father's and men's groups about the treatment of men, but without any organised attempted to quantify or publish reports on the situation. Of the issues listed above, it is matrimonial and family law, and social policies about the family, which have had the hardest effects on men. It has been no surprise that groups addressing these issues first arose.
In the late1990s the Internet became generally available, and men were able to network, not only in the UK, but world-wide. The lack of information through the press and media was remedied. The same treatment of men prevails in all Western World countries, including Europe, North America and Australia/New Zealand.
Some history
It has been in response to this situation that men's groups have been created since the 1970s. In 1989 Dads After Divorce was founded by four men, each of whom had been the victim of engineered divorce petitions alleging their unreasonable behaviour. DADs was involved in the establishment of the Cheltenham Group, and of the UKMM. DADs was formed largely as a response to The United Kingdom Divorce Racket.
The Child Support Act was passed in 1990. The concealed agenda behind the act was to force non liable persons pay the social security benefits of legal strangers. Fathers completely accept that children need to be supported financially and to be cared for by both parents.
However fathers object to being financially crippled in supporting an ex spouse who divorced them and took away their children that they are hardly ever allowed to see. It is this matter relating to the Children's Issues that is the most contentious area of divorce.
In 1996 The Family Law Act (FLA96) received its third reading. This bill basically established in written law the concept of 'no-fault divorce' i.e. that divorce should take place on the basis of unilateral unsubstantiated demand.
The Cheltenham Group, set up by John Campion in 1994, was one of a number of organisations which fought against the FLA96.
The UK Men's Movement was founded in July 1994 to rally all the forces in the UK which are now beginning to react against uncontrolled feminism and its disastrous social consequences. DADs has now amalgamated with the UKMM, and the Cheltenham Group supports UKMM and in particular makes all its reports available to UKMM.